Hi, I'm Tom Avery
by Shay59317
Summary: What if Elena hadn't met Stefan first? This takes place the summer before Elena's car crash when she, Jeremy, and their friends are on a little vacation in Atlanta before school starts. It's there that she meets a green-eyed paramedic that she can't seem to get her mind off of.
1. First Sight

**Summary: What if Elena hadn't met Stefan first? This takes place the summer before Elena's car crash when she, Jeremy, and their friends are on a little vacation in Atlanta before school starts.**

* * *

Elena walked quickly through the bustling hallways of some hospital in Atlanta, searching for the right room. 106…107…108. _Aha!_ Elena thought triumphantly to herself as she ducked into room 109 on the hospital's second floor. She eyed her brother, Jeremy Gilbert, who lay unconscious on a stiff mattress and in nothing but a flannel hospital gown. _How charming_. Remorse entered her system. She should've gotten there faster. If she wasn't so distracted she would've picked him up at the time he'd asked, just as she'd promised, but no.

Stupid Matt…stupid feelings.

No, she couldn't blame Matt. She didn't. Elena was wrong to have strung him along for so long, and she knew it. It was only a matter of time before it all came tumbling out of her. They'd broken up. After being together for almost a year, they were over. Her eyes were tinted over in sadness when she saw the boy on the bed shift, slowly awakening into consciousness.

"Jeremy," Elena called softly, trying not to startle him out of his sleepy haze. The sound of his name allowed for him to focus his senses on his big sister.

"Elena," he croaked. It sounded like his throat got into the wrong side of a fight with a cheese grater. "Wha—" the young boy began the painful process of coughing out a lung. Elena rushed to his side, easing a glass of water to his lips. The cool liquid helped tremendously in soothing his throat, and Jeremy shot his sister a grateful look as he continued to take long pulls of the fluid. Jeremy sat the plastic cup on the table next to him and turned to look at Elena with furrowed eyebrows. "Where am I?" He began slowly, peering around at the solid white walls of his hospital room. Elena's throat went dry and she licked her lips in preparation to answer him.

"You're in the hospital."

"I gathered that," the boy rolled his eyes, "but _where_?" He stressed his final word, trying to convey a different meaning to it than the one before. Realization dawned on her.

"Atlanta," she replied. Jeremy's lips parted, a silent _ah_ passing his lips. Elena bit her lip.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, gazing at him imploringly, "I didn't mean to be so late." Jeremy quirked his lips, and he shook his head side to side with wry amusement. "What?"

"You shouldn't feel guilty about this," Jeremy said sincerely. "Late or not, you couldn't possibly have known this would happen to me Elena.  
Besides, what if you _had_ gotten to me on time. Those guys beat me up pretty badly, what's to say would've happened if you'd been there too? If anything, I'm grateful that you weren't anywhere near them." Jeremy's eyes hardened. He'd given as good as he got thanks to the karate lessons his parents forced him into. If Elena had been there as well, he didn't know if he would have been able to protect them both. He's appreciative of the fact that she wasn't lying there next to him with bruises and cuts to match his own. Or worse for that matter. Elena inhaled a shaky breath, the image of his bloody form laying in the mouth of that alley would forever be burned into the back of her eye lids. She'd rushed him to the nearest hospital immediately after lugging his prone form into the backseat of her car.

"Okay," Elena nodded her acceptance, "is there anything I can do for you?" She eyed the tray filled with hospital food: a cup of chocolate pudding, a biscuit, and a lump of something that Elena couldn't name. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "Don't answer that. Hospital food sucks. Are you hungry for anything in particular?" A boyish grin spread across Jeremy's lips. Well, you know what they say: _a way to a man's heart is through his stomach._

"Now that you mention it, a cheeseburger sounds good," Jeremy said, his stomach growling loudly with the mention of food; Elena could hear the noise from across the room. She smiled knowingly.

"You've got it Jer," Elena agreed, grabbing her coat on the way out, "I'll be back soon." Elena took a couple wrong turns in her journey to find the exit and finally asked a kind nurse for directions. Alas, Elena entered the lobby. She reached into her coat pocket for her car keys, but it wasn't there that she found them. Reaching into her jeans' pocket, the brunette retrieved her keys, but in a bout of clumsiness, they slipped through her fingers and onto the tiled floor with a jingling _clang_. Swiftly bending over to grab at her keys, Elena didn't notice a lone paramedic making his way passed her. When she stood, she bumped right into him, and the force of his own pace caused her to stumble backwards, nearly causing her to tumble to the floor. Before she could lose her balance, the paramedic grabbed her waist and steadied her.

"Are you okay Miss?" a smooth voice asked. Elena's head snapped up to catch a pair of the most hypnotic pair of green eyes she'd ever seen to date. She felt like she could fall into a pair of those eyes, and she grew weak kneed. Elena wobbled again, only managing to stay on her feet due to the paramedic's ever careful grip on her body.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Elena laughed lightly, her embarrassment tinging her cheeks. "Thank you for saving me from what I'm sure would've been a very ungraceful fall." He smiled at her, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"You're very welcome." They stood in front of each other longer than two strangers should've, simply looking one another over. It was like something had taken them over. They were drawn to each other, like two magnets. All they knew was that there was something so undeniably good and right about the other. They were curious, and it was an insatiable curiosity. One that would only be cured by one thing. Unbeknownst to each other, their thoughts were practically in sync.

 _I have to know her._

 _I have to know him._

Elena became hyperaware of his hand on her waist, and the paramedic seemed to realize this because he snatched his hand away as if it were ablaze. The man gave himself a mental shake. _What're you doing you idiot? Talk to her._ So, he stuck out his hand towards her.

"Hi, I'm Tom Avery," he introduced himself. _Tom Avery_ , Elena mulled the name over in her head. It suited him. She liked it.

"I'm Elena," the brunette smiled shyly, "Elena Gilbert." She shook his hand. He wasn't sure what came over him, but Tom brought her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles.

" _Avery, there's an ambulance leaving in five. Stand by._ " A nurse called from across the lobby. The spell between both doppelgangers wasn't broken. It strived to bring them closer together, but Tom fought against the pull to this beautiful girl to do his job. A job he loved nonetheless. He dropped her hand.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Elena Gilbert," Tom Avery said, and he knew he couldn't stop his next words even if he tried, "I hope to see you again." As the dirty blonde haired young man walked away, Elena called out to him.

"Tom!" Elena called quickly, knowing he had to go fulfill his duties. He turned to her and shot her an inquiring glance in answer to her call with a slight tilt of his head. "I'll be hanging around room 109. Feel free to stop by." Without waiting for a response, Elena took a deep breath and walked out into the parking lot.

 _What was I about to go…burgers! Right, I was getting burgers for Jeremy and I._

And Elena did just that, hoping all the while that she'd get to see a certain paramedic again.

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 **What'd ya think?** **Tell me if you think I should continue! Thanks for reading guys :-)**


	2. Too Late?

**Hey readers, what's up? Please enjoy. Happy reading.**

* * *

Elena was feeling disappointed. Maybe even a little heartbroken—which she mentally tried to rationalize because she _just met_ Tom; she can't have such strong feelings for him already. Tom Avery hasn't dropped by to see her since she'd met him in the lobby. It's been three days since then and the following would be their last. Jeremy was getting discharged from the hospital tomorrow, but only since their father was a doctor himself and he had assured the doctor that he could continue to look after Jeremy himself safely within the confines of their own home.

"You okay 'Lena?" Jeremy called softly from the hospital bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Elena smiled reassuringly, making an effort to shake away her mopey mood.

"You sure?" Jeremy inquired. "You seem upset."

Elena shrugged, "I still feel a little guilty, I guess." Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"Again, Elena. This isn't your fault, cheer up. I'm getting out of here tomorrow and we'll be on our way home." Jeremy grinned, pumping a fist in the air, wincing slightly as the movement shifted his broken rib.

"Be careful there," Elena chided softly, giggling lightly at his enthusiasm.

"What? I can finally eat some real food," Jeremy replied, tapping is stomach. As if on cue, the boy's stomach growled. "As soon as I get home, I'm eating a big bag of Doritos and a couple of mom's cookies."

"Not on my watch, Mister," came a voice from the door.

"Mom," Elena smiled, walking over to give her mom a hug.

"Your father and I have a surprise," Miranda Gilbert announces as she strides over to Jeremy. "You're going home today."

"Really?" Jeremy grins.

"Yep."

"Wait, I thought we were leaving tomorrow?" Elena inquired, furrowing her eyebrows. Sadness creeped on her again. She really wanted to see him again, but it looks like that wouldn't be happening. Maybe he didn't feel the same way about her as she did him. Maybe that strange mystical connection she felt towards him was nothing short of her silly, girlish imagination.

"Your father pulled a couple strings," Miranda shakes her head at her husband. He could be so impatient sometimes, but he wanted them to be together as a family after being apart for the past couple weeks. Although, the real reason was that both of the Gilbert parents wanted to get out of the city where Jeremy came to harm. They wanted to go back to the safety of their little hometown, Mystic Falls. Well, as safe as the town could be with its vampire attacks, or as everyone else in the town knows them as, 'animal attacks'. But then again, those hadn't happened in a very long time, much to every council member's relief, which included both Miranda and Grayson.

"You bet I did," their father uttered with a mischievous grin, the one that Jeremy clearly inherited. "It's time to go home son."

* * *

Tom Avery walked into room 109, finally having time out of his busy schedule to catch a glimpse of a certain beautiful girl he can't seem to take his mind off of. He'd been trying for days to go see her, but every single time he had a chance, something got in the way: a colleague would ask a favor of him, or he was on paramedic duty, or he was filing papers and getting coffee for his boss. Tom's eyebrows furrowed at the lack of people in the bare room and blanched as his thoughts went south. Was he too late? He walked as quickly as he could towards the front desk without making a scene.

"Luna," Tom called loudly to the first floor's front desk lady, a woman he could almost call a friend.

"Avery," she replied.

"When did the patient in room 109 get discharged," he spoke hurriedly, praying he wasn't too late.

"I really shouldn't be telling you this. I can't go off telling anyone who asks about a patient's confidential whereabouts," Luna raised a serious eyebrow that, had it been anyone else, would've sent them running due to its undeniable intimidating nature.

It's a good thing Tom wasn't just anyone.

Tom put on his best puppy dog face, green eyes widening hopefully. "Please."

"Alright, but don't make a habit of this." Luna rolled her eyes, "It was only about five minutes ago." With those words, he was off, sprinting towards the exit with a quick "Thanks," over his shoulder. He opened the doors and caught a glimpse of long brown hair glinting brightly in the sun before a tough grip landed on his shoulder and jerked him back into the building. _Damnit, what now?_ Tom groaned.

"And what do you think you're doing Avery? Last I checked, your shift wasn't over," an annoying voice prattled on beside Tom's ear. "Are you forgetting the rules already? Interns have to do their hours from start to finish. Otherwise they won't get the credits for completing this course or obtain their college degree." Stupid freaking Darby, the biggest douche out of all the other interns that Tom knew. Why did he have to stick his nose into Tom's business, and especially _now_ of all times? Darby was such a stickler for the rules and acted like he was God's gift to everyone. Not to mention that he never forgets a screw up. Darby especially isn't afraid to inform the higher ups about the aforementioned screw ups.

"I'm going out to get lunch," Tom's jaw clenched. She was so close but so far. If only Darby would let him go. Though he knew it wouldn't be so easy.

"Lunch break doesn't start 'til 1:30, looks like you've still got twenty minutes. Come on, let's go." Darby hauls him backwards towards their station. _Dick_. There was no way Tom was going to let this loser win. He was going to get the girl, no matter what it took. It was like a string attached him to her, urging him to follow and never stray far from her ever again.

"Wait!" Tom yanks free and dashes over to Luna who watched the whole exchange curiously. Scrawling messily on a notepad sitting on her desk, he shoved it at her. "Luna, please. I need you to do me a huge favor, and I'll do pretty much anything for you to do it." Luna had seen a lot in her time as a receptionist at the Atlanta hospital for the past two decades, but one thing she'd never seen before was Tom Avery so adamant about something outside of his work.

"Go on," Luna leans back in her seat, a slow smile making its way on her face.

* * *

"Excuse me, Miss! Miss!" Elena heard a voice yelling from behind her. She spun on her heels to see a short lady running across the parking lot towards her. Elena glanced back at the Gilberts' car to see her parents maneuvering Jeremy gently out of the wheelchair and into his seat in the back. Elena walked swiftly over to greet the woman halfway.

"Yes?" Elena replied. She briefly recalled that she was the receptionist at the hospital's main desk in the lobby, and Elena wondered what the lady could possibly be doing in the parking lot calling to, what looked like, _her_.

"Are you Elena Gilbert?"

"Yeah."

"I have a message for you," the lady handed her a small piece of paper. Without another word, only a mere glance over her shoulder, the woman journeyed back to her desk before her boss found out that she'd left her station. Luna really didn't want to get fired; she had bills to pay.

 _Avery, you owe me_ , Luna sighed inwardly as she eyed her boss sitting on her desk with a scowl.

Elena watched the lady go before turning her gaze onto the paper. Hope crept on her, but she stamped it down, not wanting it to be crushed. _It's probably just Jeremy's progress reports or something_ , she justified yet couldn't help herself either way. Opening the fold, Elena's breath caught.

There, in messily scrawled script, were 10 digits and a signature at the bottom: Tom Avery.

A brilliant smile grew on her face. "Elena!" Her father called, causing Elena's head to whip around to that of her parents. Clearly they hadn't noticed the little exchange and were waiting patiently for her to get into the car. She slipped the note into her jean's pocket.

"Coming Dad," Elena jogged swiftly to the car, eyes gleaming brightly the whole way.

* * *

Elena lay on her stomach on the mattress, legs swinging in the air as she stared at her phone. As soon as she was away from prying eyes, Elena had entered his information into her phone, saving his contact and sealing her fate. _Should I text him?_ She pondered. The girl didn't want to be rude and bother him while he was on his shift. Part of her wished that Caroline and Bonnie were there with her, helping her to decide what to do. Caroline would no doubt be pushing her to call him, and Bonnie would do the same in a much subtler way. _Just do it, Elena. You never know until he responds_. She opened his contact, as ready as she'd ever be.

 _Hey Tom_. Elena waited on baited breath for a response. With a chime, an incoming message appeared a couple minutes later.

 ** _Elena?_** Oh, right. She forgot to respond with her name.

 _That's me_.

 ** _That's a relief! I wasn't sure if Luna would make it in time_** _._ Elena smiled at that. Luna, she must've been the secretary lady that gave her the note. **_Did you make it home alright?_** Again, Elena's smile grew; the more she heard from, the more she learned. So far, she knew that he was intelligent, sweet, and kind.

 _Yep. We've got Jeremy resting on the couch so we can keep an eye on him._

 ** _That's good, make sure to keep his broken leg elevated to keep the swelling down._**

 _Will do_ _ **.**_ Elena bit her lip. She wanted to know more about him, but she was afraid of being too forward.

 ** _I know this is a little forward, but are you free this Saturday?_** Elena beamed, fingers racing across the keyboard to respond when her fingers abruptly froze. She lived in Mystic Falls, Virginia and Tom lived in Atlanta, Georgia. Her mood crashed. They lived so far apart. A couple minutes passed as she tried to figure out how to respond. **_You still there? I hope I haven't scared you away_** _._ Elena shook her head vehemently before realizing that he couldn't see her.

 _Nope, still here. You'll have to try harder than that to get rid of me._ Elena reassured.

 ** _Is that a challenge, Ms. Gilbert?_** Elena grinned, mood brightening slightly at the playful banter. Maybe they could make this whole long-distance thing work. Atlanta was only eight or so hours away from Mystic Falls, and that was better than say, twenty-four hours away, right? She hated to turn him down though.

 _Take it how you like, Avery, and I'm sorry, but I won't be able to make it Saturday. :-(_

 ** _Oh, it's fine. I'm sure we can find sometime else that'll work._** His persistence was cute, she decided. It was too bad that things would be more difficult than desired.

 _Actually Tom, I have to tell you something._ Elena bit her lip, hesitant to type out the words.

 ** _You're making me nervous Gilbert, this is starting to sound like the whole, "it's not you, it's me speech."_**

 _Oh, no! I swear it's nothing like that._

 ** _That's a relief. Come on then, spit it out._** "Well here goes nothing," Elena muttered to herself.

 _I don't live in Atlanta Tom . . ._

 ** _Oh . . . where do you live? Not to sound like a creeper._**

 _I live in Virginia._ Elena waited on baited breath for his response; she was practically burning a hole into her screen with the intensity of her gaze. The silence of her room felt suffocating as she waited for Tom to answer her. She really wished she could be there with him in person. And more than anything she'd ever wanted before, she wanted to go out on that date with him.

 ** _Ah, that could be a bit of a problem._** My thoughts exactly, Elena mused.

 _Yep. Are you still up for trying to make this work?_ Elena read the message over about a dozen times before she hit send. Again, she _really_ wanted to see him, face to face.

 ** _You can't get rid of me so easily, Gilbert._** He threw her words from earlier back into her face, drawing a startled, happy laugh from her. **_I guess we'll have to stick to communicating like this for now._** Elena could practically hear his pout. _For now . . ._ Elena liked the sound of that.

 _I know._

"Elena, dinner!" Elena heard her father's call from downstairs. Her brow creased in disappointment. She wanted to continue talking to him, but at the same time she wasn't sure what else to say.

 _Sorry, I have to go now._

 ** _Dinner?_** Elena's eyes shifted curiously.

 _How'd you know?_

 ** _I'm psychic._**

 _Really._ Elena rolled her eyes at his message.

 ** _Nope. We're still in the same time zone, Gilbert._** Right. At least they had that.

 _Have a good evening Tom._

 ** _Same to you, Elena._**

Smiling softly, Elena exited her room, greeting her family with a smile before she dug into the chicken parmesan that awaited her on the kitchen table.

* * *

 **Hello again guys! I hope you liked the chapter, and keep in mind that I take suggestions of how you'd like to see me take this story; just send me a review or PM me and I'll see what I can do. Thanks! See ya next time on H,ITA.**


	3. Decision

**Hey readers! Hope you're ready for this chapter; I've been working on it pretty much all day.**

 **Welcome to the life of Tom Avery. Enjoy...**

* * *

Tom Avery smiled as he heard the vibration of his phone in his pocket. He knew it was her. Elena. Even the mere thought of her name caused a goofy smile to stretch across his lips.

Stopping in the middle of the paperwork that Luna had given him to fill out, he searched around him for any sign of someone who would get him into trouble with the boss. Nope, all clear. He slid the phone out of his pocket.

 _How's my favorite Paramedic doing?_ Tom's smile widened at her use of 'favorite'.

 ** _Now that I have you to keep me company, good._** He couldn't help flirting with her; it came naturally, and Tom could admit to himself that the simple crush he had on Elena had grown significantly with every conversation they'd had for the past couple months. Neither of them had gained the courage to call the other yet, unfortunately.

Tom yearned to hear her voice again, more than he ever thought possible.

 ** _I'm swamped with paperwork today. Darby thought it would be funny to sign me up for paperwork duty._** Tom winced as he looked down at the stack on his desk. That was going to take a couple hours.

 _Ouch. Good luck with that. Should I go let you finish that in peace?_ Tom had never typed as quickly as he had then.

 ** _NO! Trust me, I need a little break. My head's swimming._** It was too. A dull throb was beginning to collect at his temples. He moved a hand to massage the ache. It dulled only slightly.

 _I'm sorry._ Tom could practically hear her frowning, which had him frowning in turn. He didn't like it when she was sad.

 ** _I'm fine, Gilbert. Rest easy._** He placated her, trying to go about the teasing route to keep their chat light and fun.

 ** _If you're sure..._**

 ** _Yep. So what're you up to today?_** While he waited for her response he pulled out a form from his desk drawer and stared at it. He'd been wondering for a couple weeks now about filling it out. Should he fill it out? His only dilemma was that Tom had only met Elena a couple months ago, and even then, it was only an encounter that lasted a couple minutes, yet their meeting had left him reeling.

He had to know her.

Something about her drew him to her, and he didn't want it to end. He could still feel that pull towards her while hundreds of miles away. He needed to be near her, and filling out the application would allow him to do just that.

Buzz. Tom's head snapped to his phone.

 _Caroline dragged Bonnie and I shopping._ Tom laughed shaking his head. Poor girl. From what he's heard about Caroline, he knew that Elena was in for quite the trip.

 ** _How long has it been since you started?_**

 _About four hours now, and knowing Caroline, it'll be another four before we're done._

 ** _Good luck._**

 _I'll let you get back to your work._

 ** _Sigh. Fine. Later Gilbert._** He dreaded getting back to work.

 _Bye Tom._

Like Tom predicted, it took him two hours to finish all of his paperwork, and he made the quick trip to the second floor to give Luna the finished product. He passed a few of the higher ups on the way, who gave him brief nods as he walked by.

"Tom!" a girlish voice called as he made his way through the children's ward. He smiled brightly and turned to see a young girl around six being wheeled by him. Her blonde hair was pulled into two pigtails atop her head, and her large, round blue eyes were lively.

"Mabel," Tom greeted. "How're you today?"

"Good," she beamed. His heart melted a little at the sight. It made him happy to see these children happy; they didn't deserve what fate had in store for some of them and their families. "Can you come draw with me?" Mabel held out the box of crayons proudly, and the doctor wheeling her to her room flashed him the paper she held in her hands.

"Of course," he promised, "but first I have to hand in this paperwork to Luna, 'kay?"

Mabel nodded seriously, "Pinky promise?" She held out her pinky. He used his free hand to clasp his pinky with her own.

"Promise." Tom watched her be wheeled into her room and continued along the short journey down the hall and up to Luna.

* * *

"Two hours and fifteen minutes," Luna looked down at her watch. "That's a new record."

"You're timing me?" Tom raised an eyebrow. Luna shrugged.

"I've been timing you from the minute you began volunteering here," Luna stated unapologetically. "I can't have you slacking off."

"I don't slack off." Tom rolled his eyes.

"One can never be too careful."

"Yeah, okay," he shook his head, thinking of Don, another recruit around his age, nineteen. Don tended to do anything but do his work, especially paperwork. Tom's had to cover for him more than once. They weren't exactly friends, but both of them hated Darby, which made them allies of sorts. But then again, none of the other trainees actually liked Darby, besides the Doctors he kissed up to.

"Here," Tom handed her his papers.

"Take care Avery," she called to his back.

"You too Luna." He traveled back to the children's ward, intending on keeping his promise to Mabel.

* * *

Tom was sprawled across his couch heavily, still trying to process the ending of his day. He'd spent about a half an hour with Mabel, coloring and chatting idly before he had to get back to work. A major accident had occurred on one of the major highways, and a couple paramedic friends of his had pulled him from the file room to allow him to observe in the ambulance which would help him get a feel of what he'd be getting into in a couple years.

At least that's what his life was supposed to look like a few years. Now he wasn't so sure. The moment he crashed into Elena Gilbert, his aims had altered subconsciously. He still saw himself as a paramedic, but he didn't see himself being a paramedic _there_ , in Atlanta.

The idea of leaving was both exhilarating and nerve racking. Nerve racking in that he'd never lived outside of Atlanta before. All he knew was Atlanta, so moving to a new place and having to meet new people and restart at the hospital there…it was all so much. But the move exhilarated him too. He'd be exploring new territory, meeting new people, and best of all, he'd be close to Elena. Tom would finally be able to talk to her in person. He'd get to hear her voice.

Maybe that nearly painful tugging in his chest would lessen too. Tom had hardly noticed it at first, but as the days went by, it grew stronger. His heart knew what it wanted, but nothing was never as easy as that. He couldn't just pack up his life on a whim and leave town. Although, maybe it was just that easy; that's what his parents had done, after all. Well, technically anyway.

Either way, he knew that his mind was already made up.

Once he came back from the accident and gave the appropriate doctors the synopsis of all the people's injuries, a stone faced Luna had dragged him to her desk.

 _"_ _Luna?" Tom asked, wondering what had her so angry._

 _"_ _When did you plan on telling me about this?" Luna responded coolly with a sternly raised eyebrow. In her hands was his Whitmore College transfer application. His jaw dropped slightly. How did she get that? He scrambled his brain for the information. He recalled turning in the paperwork she asked for. He must've forgotten to take it out of the stack._

 _"_ _When I'd made up my mind," he defended weakly._

 _"_ _It's filled out, Avery," Luna observed, "you've already made up your mind." Tom didn't make a move to respond. Luna sighed, all the anger leaving her. She'd known this boy for almost two years now, and watching him as he grew from a young volunteer into the paramedic-in-training made her start to feel like another guardian for him. To abruptly find out that he would be transferring to another college was strange. Luna knew how dedicated Tom was; she'd seen it ever since he started visiting the hospital. He had a bright future ahead of him, so why was he suddenly willing to throw it all away? "Why?" she finally asked._

 _"_ _I don't leave until next summer," Tom scratched behind his ear as he stared down at her desk. He was nervous under her scrutiny. If she found out he was leaving for a girl, he was afraid she'd try to stop him, and he couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't understand. But it was Luna, his only parental figure at the moment, and he had to tell someone where he was going. Besides, he was hiding this as if he was ashamed of Elena, and that had determination surging through his veins like liquid fire. Tom's confidence returned, and he returned Luna's gaze, but his were much softer. "This is something that I need to do, Luna."_

 _A buzz drew his attention, and curiously, he glanced down at his screen. It was Elena wishing him a good evening. He smiled._

 _A hand snatched up the device and gazed down at the text._

 _"_ _Gilbert…Why's that name so familiar—" Luna turned wide eyed to Tom. "The girl." She didn't need to explain further. He knew that she knew. It was only inevitable, yet he dreaded this moment all the same._

The confrontation didn't end well, to say the least. Luna was giving Tom the silent treatment, hoping that some sense would come to him. After all, he was with the girl for a minute, and she had used this fact in her argument—he didn't know who Elena really was.

But whatever he was feeling felt so real. It was the most real thing he's ever felt in his entire life.

Tom sighed.

He was in for hell in the next couple months.

* * *

 **What'd ya think? Poor Tom, getting the cold shoulder from Luna for wanting to leave. And what's with that 'pull' he's feeling? That's a little fishy, don't ya think? Ah, the universe works in such strange ways... ;-)**

 **Thanks for your reviews guys; they've been amazing. Keep it up!**


	4. Dream

**Hey friends! Know it's been a while, so I recommend a refresh before you read this. Hope you enjoy . . .**

* * *

 _"_ _Tom," Elena giggled. "This is amazing." Her hand lifted gently to capture a firefly in her palm. Another laugh escaped her when the insect tickled her skin. Tom stared down at her adoringly from his seat beside her._

 _"_ _No regrets then?" He prompted with a silly grin. He knew he'd change her mind._

 _"_ _Just a little," Elena shook her head guiltily. "My parents are going to kill us." She set the firefly free from grasp. It flew away, joining the swarm that lit the shadowed clearing around them._

 _Tom opened his mouth, no doubt to try to sound optimistic, but found he couldn't. "Yeah, you're probably right. Although, you're sure you can't get Bonnie or Caroline to cover for you?" Elena raised an eyebrow._

 _"_ _If Caroline found out about this, the whole town would know all about our little excursion by morning. As for Bonnie . . ." Elena pursed her lips. "I suppose I could ask, but I don't want this to blow up in her face if we get caught." She caught him staring at her._

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _Nothing. You're just . . ." Tom floundered momentarily. "Your selflessness just astounds me sometimes. Even over something as tiny as this, you are willing to guarantee your own punishment so that another won't possibly receive one too." Elena's head dipped down bashfully as Tom finished, "You're possibly the kindest person I've ever met."_

 _Rather than respond, Elena reclined onto their huge shared picnic blanket, gazing up at the beautiful array of stars. They shone through the sky so clearly here._

 _"_ _What is this place?" Tom shifted to stretch out beside her._

 _"_ _When he was still alive, my grandfather used to take me here." Tom divulged. "Well, not here exactly." The paramedic pointed to the southwest. "About a quarter of a mile that way, there's a lake where he used to take me fishing as a boy. Thing is, I was never a patient person, so I would set off to explore the area while he fished." Tom laughed to himself, picturing his grandpa's warm withered smile as he watched him take off excitedly into the woods. "I came across this place one day and decided to call it my own." Elena moved to rest her head on his shoulder, providing him a small comfort as he talked. Unconsciously, he ran his hand through her hair as he continued onward. "Every year since he died, I came down here just to remember him. To honor him in a way." Tom grew hesitant. "When I'm here . . . it's like . . . I don't know."_

 _"_ _It's almost like you can feel him here." Elena finished for him, compassionate eyes trained on his own._

 _"_ _Yeah," He agreed. Warm chocolate met sea green. Her eyes spelled out secrets she wouldn't dare say aloud. Elena was falling for this man, and hard at that. She just hoped she wasn't alone in that feeling. A shiver worked its way down her spine as a particularly chilly breeze swept through the area. Tom, not one to miss anything, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "This okay?" His voice was a mere whisper._

 _"_ _Yes," Elena couldn't bring herself to answer any louder than a mumble either. Was it just her, or was his face growing nearer? Her eyes absentmindedly fell to his lips. She hadn't known Tom for long, but all she could think about in that moment was kissing him._

 _In seconds, she'd have that wish._

Elena.

 _They were so close. She had a direct line to his body heat, and it was intoxicating. The brunette could feel his every exhale against the bridge of her nose._

Elena.

 _Millimeters separated their lips now. Elena's eyes were sliding shut, and she could see in those last precious seconds that Tom's were doing the same. A hint of something soft brushed across her lips and then—_

ELENA!

* * *

" _Elena_." A voice articulated urgently beside her. "Wake up." Elena's eyes slammed open with a gasp. Bonnie's concerned face greeted her on her side of the bed. Glancing around, the sight of Elena's own bedroom came into view. Disappointment flooded her veins.

It was all a dream. A glorious, unforgettable dream at that.

Yet Elena swore she could still feel the graze of Tom's lips against her own, as if that had actually happened. Bonnie shook Elena's shoulder.

"I'm up. I'm up." she grumbled repeatedly, rolling over onto another body—Caroline's. Caroline groaned as her eyes fluttered open and wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"What time is it?" the blonde asked. Contrary to popular belief, Caroline hated the early morning. She'd much rather stay in bed, but the cheerleading squad wasn't going to lead itself.

"7:30," Bonnie replied. It was a good thing she was already showered and ready because there was no way they'd all make it to the school in time if she hadn't.

"Crap!" Elena flew off of her bed, immediately heading to her bathroom to shower. As left her room, she heard Bonnie call to them about her making the coffee. Ah, coffee. It was practically sacred in the Gilbert household—no one was awake without it. As Elena lathered shampoo in her hair, she thought about her dream.

It had felt so real, like she was actually there in that clearing with Tom Avery, the mysterious and kind paramedic she'd met months ago. In truth, this wasn't the first dream she'd experienced that appeared to be real. Elena had faced several others in the past few weeks, and in every one of them, one thing remained the same: Tom was there.

Sometimes Elena wondered if anything that Tom said had any merit. Could it be possible? Or was it her brain filling in the blanks for her?

The brunette let loose a sigh and pushed her thoughts to the back of her head. There was no point in dwelling on this. It's not like what she was thinking was possible. Elena justified it as her vivid imagination talking and nothing more.

Once she was done with her morning routine, she went downstairs with her school bag, allowing Caroline to take residence in the shower, and within another twenty minutes, they were driving to the high school.

"So, I hear Matt hooked up with Kallie last night at Tyler Lockwood's party," Caroline blabbed offhandedly, glancing at Elena pointedly.

"Really?" Bonnie muttered from the driver's seat. She too looked back at Elena, who was completely oblivious to their stares. The girl seemed to be staring at her phone longingly. "Elena."

"Hmm," Said girl mumbled.

"Are you listening?"

"Yeah," Elena shrugged. "Guys, it's no big deal. I don't care that Matt hooked up with Kallie. It's not like we're together anymore, remember?"

"So, you really don't care?" Caroline pressed.

"Matt can do whatever he wants." Elena replied. "It's his life, and he has a say of what he wants to do with it." Caroline's mouth clicked shut. She was surprised. The blonde knew that Elena had been over Matt for a while now, but still, shouldn't the brunette feel _something_ about this? Regardless of the reasoning, Caroline let it go—a rare occurrence. A minute later, they pulled into the parking lot of Mystic Falls High School.

"I better see you two in the locker room after school," Caroline's eyes narrowed at her best friends seriously.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Care," Elena smiled wryly.

"We'll be there," Bonnie agreed. Caroline nodded, a bubbly smile forming on her face, before she strut off to who knows where.

"Ready for Bio?" Elena turned to her best friend.

"Not really," she frowned, but led the way to their classroom. Before they reached inside, Elena had the distinct feeling of someone watching her. She scanned her surroundings and spotted Matt a couple dozen yards away, give or take, staring. Elena tried for a smile, but Matt was already looking away.

Before the school doors shut behind her, Elena realized she still felt that prickly sensation on the back of her neck.

"Hey, did we have homework?" Bonnie asked abruptly, and the thought vanished as quickly as it had arrived.

* * *

"Did you see her?" He called as she opened the door of her dark red Maserati. After gracefully sliding into the driver's seat, she slammed the door behind her. Then she brushed the curly hair out of her face as she looked to her lover.

"Yes," She replied shortly, starting up the engine. "Her name's Elena Gilbert."

"So, she has a name," The guy sniped sarcastically and shrugged. "At least I can stop calling her _the doppelganger_ in my head." The girl bit back a smile. "What's next, chief?" Now she rolled her eyes. Even after all these years, he couldn't quit with those goddamn nicknames . . .

"Now," She began, "we stick around." The male raised an eyebrow.

"That's all you've got?"

"All we need to do is keep her hidden until the right time." The girl shrugged. "And then we can leave this tiny town behind us for another century."

"Fine," he sighed, leaning over to peck her lips. "But I'm choosing where we go this time."

"We can compromise." The girl rebutted. The guy sighed, knowing that was as far as he would get with her. He knew how to choose his battles. They swiftly exited the parking lot of the high school, flying off to their next destination.

They needed a more permanent place to stay. One that wasn't the Salvatore Boarding House.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I know it's been a while. Sorry! I want you to know that I'm NOT giving up on this story; I've got a lot in store for it and can't wait for you guys to see what I've come up with. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Reviews would be great :-)**


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